They dance, but they don't know why

[behemecoytl]

After playing my first few live shows, I’ve noticed something: people really don’t listen to the bass. They feel it, move to it and forget it. I’m sure I’m not alone among bassists in that when I listen to music, the bass lines jump out at me and probably I focus on listening to them more because, well, that’s what I play… but after the gig last night, after we had the packed bar dancing- people started coming up to the band and congratulating everyone- telling the keyboardist, sax player and guitarist that they sounded Awesome, while looking at me and the drummer like, “oh yeah, you were up there too…” and more than one person asked me, “why don’t you take solos?”

Solos?

I play dance music- what’s a bass solo?

It simply re-enforces my love of the bass as a Mystery instrument- part of the drums/bass Central Control behind the scenes.

So they dance all night to the groove of the drums and bass, and then go on and on and on about the guitars, horns and keys- all awesome players who deserve their kudos, but I guess I didn’t realize How much Behind the Scenes the bass really is. All the more to love it for. If it’s the pat on the back you need, bass ain’t yer thang.

[MatticusMania]

Oh, I thought you were talking about this...

www.hampsterdance.com

[Nashrakh]

Originally Posted by behemecoytl

So they dance all night to the groove of the drums and bass, and then go on and on and on about the guitars, horns and keys

Kinda sad, really.

But that hasn't ever stopped us, right?

[JmJ]

As a joke you can easily demonstrate the phenomenon by adding a drop.
Wait till the dance floor fills up, cue your drummer and then both of you stop playing for at least four measures. Watch and see how long people can keep dancing. One or two measures will not do it but four or more will surely pull the rug out from under them. It's always very amusing to see their "what happened" expressions. They'll quickly figure out what they are really dancing to.The rest of the band may not be too happy but so what, they're awesome at getting people to dance right?

[rappa29]

Originally Posted by JmJ

As a joke you can easily demonstrate the phenomenon by adding a drop.
Wait till the dance floor fills up, cue your drummer and stop playing for at least four measures. Watch and see how long people can keep dancing. One or two measures will not do it but four or more will surely pull the rug out from under them. It's always very amusing to see their "what happened" expressions. They'll quickly figure out what they are really dancing to.The rest of the band may not be too happy but so what, they're awesome at getting people to dance right?

LMAO! So true!

Always fun to watch! Especially when the song actually has drops\breakdowns where the drums or bass or both cut out for a bit, ala JB or Pfunk or Prince.

People just kind of sway and float around like jellyfish in the tide until the rhythm section kicks back in! Then the booties start shakin' again!

Or they "air jam" depending on which instrument is playing during the break, air guitar, air sax, air clav, etc...lol.

[plankspanker13]

Preach on!

[Phalex]

My wife thinks I'm strange because I hum the bass lines to songs on the radio. I guess you either get it, or you don't.

[DudeistMonk]

Originally Posted by behemecoytl

So they dance all night to the groove of the drums and bass, and then go on and on and on about the guitars, horns and keys- all awesome players who deserve their kudos, but I guess I didn’t realize How much Behind the Scenes the bass really is.

It's okay they all think your a guitarist anyway, and they just can't wrap their heads around why your strings are bigger.

[Sartori]

I take two solos. Both in the same song. But my band isn't really dance music.


However, I think people would still notice more if I stopped playing.

[Thor]

Originally Posted by Phalex

My wife thinks I'm strange because I hum the bass lines to songs on the radio. I guess you either get it, or you don't.

She is probably not alone in that opinion. Heck, I think you
are strange too. JMHO. Probably has something to do with
the Hedgehog.

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by Thor

She is probably not alone in that opinion. Heck, I think you
are strange too. JMHO. Probably has something to do with
the Hedgehog.

Point taken. You're probably right.

[kesslari]

You don't have to solo to be a kickbass bass player.

You don't have to "not solo" in dance music either (though you don't have to solo - your gig, your call, or the bandleader's).

Back when I was playing a lot of ethnic percussion for bellydancers, and teaching other musicians, one concept I would use was "soloing for dancers vs. soloing for yourself/other musicians/passive audience", because drummers in that context are expected to solo as part of the drum/dance performance.

A solo for a dancer should emphasize the groove, should not involve crazy syncopation or time-bending, and ideally is built on simple phrases that repeat. It's advice I'd do well to heed better as a bass player, really - I'm still connecting those parts (drummer and bass player) together.
It's not a place to show your "top 5% complexity" chops, or your ability to do crazy beat syncopation or to play 7 against 4. If you do that, the dancing stops.
Simple, repetitive and grooving will get you wild applause. Complex and non-grooving will get blank stares, in this context.

When you solo for a passive audience, or for other musicians, or for yourself - that's the place to throw in your crazy, complex stuff. It's a different context.

[hrodbert696]

One of the first things I tried learning when I took up bass again was the line for Duran Duran's "Rio." My wife was the hugest Duran Duran fan back in the day and I thought she would be tickled. I got so I could play it OK.

She didn't recognize it.

[blubolt]

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

One of the first things I tried learning when I took up bass again was the line for Duran Duran's "Rio." My wife was the hugest Duran Duran fan back in the day and I thought she would be tickled. I got so I could play it OK.

She didn't recognize it.

oh dude....

[Haysoochreesto]

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

One of the first things I tried learning when I took up bass again was the line for Duran Duran's "Rio." My wife was the hugest Duran Duran fan back in the day and I thought she would be tickled. I got so I could play it OK.

She didn't recognize it.

So true. Even though I realized in highschool that 99% of humanity doesn't recognize the bass lines from their favorite songs, I still from time to time try and impress my girlfriend with a line from a song she likes. She never gets it.

"You Shook Me" by AC/DC is a good example of how hollow songs are without the bass. The entire first verse is sans bass but kicks in for the prechorus and it really lifts the entire song. But still, people don't know that it's the bass doing it, they just know that the songs energy just got elevated and now they're shakin' their butts.

[kenlacam]

Bass players who need that kind of attention have no business playing bass to begin with-that's what lead guitards do.

[walker rosewood]

People generally aren't dancing to my music, but at least bopping their head. So I like to write music in 5 or 7 or mixed meter and watch them all trip. My drummer doesn't like me either.

[HailCorduroy]

Originally Posted by Phalex

My wife thinks I'm strange because I hum the bass lines to songs on the radio. I guess you either get it, or you don't.

My fiance thinks the same thing about me. I walk around going "bomp, bum, bum, bomp" "singing" the bass lines to songs in my head.

[bassteban]

Originally Posted by behemecoytl

...people really don’t listen to the bass.

Additionally, I hear internet scams have reached Detroit.

[DerHoggz]

I had a bass solo at church, just me and the drums. My one (drummer) friend didn't even notice...